Stepping on legos
by elizabethhadley13
Summary: Spoiler Alert! After Peter's release and James being proven inocent, someone from Neal's past reappears. Now Neal needs to deal with his past and it's scars while dealing with what's happening.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Neal is looking at her and She is looking at him too. They gaze at each other with their expressions giving nothing away, not moving one single little muscle of their bodies.

He's seated in the stairs in front of the courthouse, some other people are around him. He's wearing a grey suit that makes him look older than the carefree Neal She used to know at a long time ago and plays with a grey fedora making flips.

She is seated in a café across the street making it look like She's reading an old book and waiting to be served. Her white plain shirt is pretty much revealing even with a black blazer and black pants combining for a May morning breeze that flows in the spring air.

She recognizes the woman seated close to him, Elizabeth Burke, wife of the very same man that arrested Neal. Her face smiling in various magazines about her event planning company flashes trough her mind, She's not smiling now. She rests her head on Neal's shoulder while looking to the floor in front of them, they look pretty much close.

Close to them She is able to see a short bald man with glasses and terrible sense of fashion reading some of those weird conspiracy books and an afro-american man and woman in dark suits. The last two must be FBI agents, She guesses. She frowns at the thought of them, all her life She hated the US Marshalls, the FBI or any other law enforcement agency. The bald man also looks uncomfortable close to them.

Neal looks like he's analyzing her carefully from the other side of the street. She knows She looks like a complete mess. Her face reveals the sleepless nights and the fear She had been feeling since all this crap started. She doesn't have any makeup hiding the black circles around her eyes against her pale skin like She used to years ago.

She has been holding her breath without even noticing it. She takes a deep breath trying to calm down and puts her book down.

He breaks the intense gaze. His eyes are now on Peter who's walking towards him, out of the courthouse. Peter's smiling. Wow, Peter is not much younger than her, She thought he was around Neal's age to be married to a woman like Elizabeth. Neal returns the smile to Peter but it doesn't touch his blue eyes.

No one notices it, but She does. No one realizes She's there, why would they? She doesn't mean anything to him anymore, She's a part of his past he would prefer to remain hidden in some closet in some dark basement.

Peter hugs Neal, who awkwardly returns. Elizabeth hugs Peter and kisses him on the cheek, trying to not cry but failing. The other federal agents hug Peter too. Neal returns the gaze to her again. He's relieved but hurt, She can tell it by his face. Is it with her or with someone else?

James walks away from the courthouse too. The tension grows as he approaches Peter and Neal. She holds her breath again. He holds his hand out to Neal and Peter who both shake it tensely. Elizabeth glares a cold look at James before shaking his hand too. The short bald man just nods with his head and stays back like he could smell the tension between them. The other two federal agents stay back too, it's obvious that they don't trust James either.

James leaves them with an affectionate smile directed to Neal, who returns with an uncomfortable smile as James approaches a cab.

It means he actually did it, Peter actually testified in his favor even after he had killed Senator Pratt and let him take the blame for it. James is an incredibly very lucky bastard, surely Neal must have got that part from him.

They look relieved as the taxi leaves the street. The federal agents go away too, nodding with their heads. Neal looks once more at her. She gazes at him again through the crowd of people walking slowly in front of her.

She wants to cry, a lot, but She retains the tears. It would be weakness showing this part of her again to Neal. He doesn't need any more of her crap. He needs someone stable like them, like those people who are like family to him.

He breaks the gaze once more again as the bald man leaves. Peter and Elizabeth leave too a short time after the bald guy. Peter hugs Neal and Elizabeth kisses his cheek while hugging him. He watches them leave, he looks lost, helpless without them.

Neal stands again looking at her, the smile in his face washed away completely. His mouth is pressed into a hard line. He looks a little bit worried, still lost and helpless but now even compassionate. Crap, the last thing She would ever want was his damn compassion, She doesn't even deserve it.

She looks at her feet finally stopping looking at him after all this time. She doesn't bear to look at him again, not while he looks with pity on her. She doesn't deserve his pity. Small tears start to fall from her big grey eyes down to her cheeks. The last time She cried was a long while ago, and it was because of him of course.

Some seconds later She feels a hand placed on her shoulder. The feeling startles her. As She lifts her head She starts seeing a grey suit. It's Neal, he's here.

She can't breathe as She looks at him. A gorgeous tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed man is standing in front of her with a hand on her shoulder and a sympathetic smile across his lips that would make any woman faint. Holy crap. Neal's there.

It looks like all the air was sucked of the earth. Why is he there?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: sorry it took forever but due to personal stuff and tests I wasn't able to write for a while. Next time I'll try to not take this much time to upload a new chapter. All mistakes are my fault.  
**

Chapter 2

He hands her a white linen handkerchief. She grabs it and wipes her tears from her cheeks with it. Her lips form a _Thank You_ but it doesn't come out any sound of her mouth.

He pulls a chair back and looks at her like asking if he can sit on it. She nods, smiling shyly. They stand quiet for what seems an eternity of time, only the table and Neal's grey fedora separating them. His sky blue eyes looking at her big grey ones.

The waitress comes with tea and turns to Neal, with her cheeks red as She sees him. Neal asks for an espresso, fancy taste. As the waitress goes away She wants to laugh but She retains it, does he actually have that effect on every woman?

She reaches for Neal's fedora that's on the table and holds it close to her. Her fingers press against the soft material as She smiles. When She closes her eyes, a small tear escapes before She even notices it.

"Hey." Neal whispers gently pushing himself towards her and holding her right hand that rests on the table and with his other hand wiping the tear away from her cheek. She can feel the insecurity through his hands "I came here because I have never liked to watch you crying. Please, stop."

He tightens his hand against her hand. She looks at him with wide eyes making him notice that She's also scared. In fact, She's terrified with the fact that She's sitting in front of Neal right now. Her cry is now more intense.

"Why you're still here?" She mutters between uncontrollable sobs and places the hat back on the table that looks smaller than it was before "Why are so scared, is it because you're here? Do I look that bad?" Neal smiles shyly at her "And could you tell me why the hell you're smiling now?! Damn, you can be so irritating sometimes!"

A quiet laugh drops from Neal's mouth. When he looks at her his eyes get more serious and his smile falls from his face. His hands never leaving her right hand that rests on the table. He caresses her hand gently.

"My intention was never to make you feel irritated and no, you don't look that bad. You don't look bad at all, in fact people could mistake you for much younger than you actually are." Neal whispers like a small child asking sorry when he broke something "You are one of the most beautiful women in the whole world."

"The definition of beauty is actually very different in most of the cultures and too much generic." She says placing her left hand on top of Neal's hands "But that was really sweet, thank you."

Some of the tears still on her cheeks but She has already stopped crying. She wipes away her tears with her right sleeve of her blazer. The white blazer hides the old small scars on her wrists, proofs of her younger foolery.

"So… Agent Burke is free." She said trying to distract herself from the fact that Neal was looking at her wrists as She wiped the tears "You convinced your father to return himself."

"Yes, Peter's free." Neal says looking to the waitress that is coming towards them. They release each other's hands letting the waitress place the espresso in front of Neal and taking the older woman's tea with her. Neal looks uncomfortable, maybe because She didn't say only James but his father.

"And it wasn't hard to convince James" Neal continued as waitress was out of their sights "I think he realized that it was the only thing he could do to us after all."

"Us?" She asked Neal raising an eyebrow. Who did he exactly meant with us?

"Yeah. You know, practically everyone that he ever met." Neal says looking away to the street, he's more uncomfortable talking about his father than actually talking to her.

"And are the Burkes okay?" She asked worried, Neal didn't had anything to do with his father's crap. Neal raises an eyebrow with a questioning look "You know, aren't they mad at you for what your father did to them?"

"No, I don't think so. If they are, I didn't notice it before" he answers taking a sip of the espresso, it looks pretty expensive "I think they know that anyone could predict that this was going to happen, so they only blame him."

"Why don't you call him your father?" the words come out of her brain to her mouth so fast that She can't even stop them. The moment She says them She's already regretting it. Neal stands still. He's tense, She can tell it.

"He ruined the lives of everyone around him, do you think he has that right?" Neal mutters looking stressed. Good, now he's mad at her.

"It wasn't my intention to bother you with the question, I'm sorry." She says embarrassed "Is just that he is still being your father after all he has done. I know the idea might look bad but the truth is that he's more alike you than you think. Well, minus the killing part." She empathizes what the last sentence with her hands.

"To you is easy to say that. You never hated anyone, in fact the bigger amount of time you have been without forgiving someone was like ten minutes." he says not so tense as he was "You have a bigger ability to forgive than most of the people I know. That's one of the reasons I like you."

She smiles as Neal ends the espresso and calls the waitress. The waitress comes again with her cheeks red as She takes the espresso and goes away. She laughs loudly enough for some people close to them look and Neal to look at her with a questioning look.

"What? Are you telling me you didn't realize that the waitress is slowly turning into jelly of merely seeing you and listening to you?" She says when the laughs stop. Her smile makes a small shy smile appear across Neal's face, he never smiles around her but today he already smiled three times because of her. All the tension is gone and they are relaxed again.

"This is weird." Neal whispers looking to the fedora and grabbing it again. She looks at him questionably as he plays with the hat. He explains to her "The fact that we are simply talking with no fights or screams or even dramas. It's new to me, this part of us. I mean, I like it and this should have been how our relation should have worked. But it's… still weird."

"I missed you, Neal." She whispers smiling warmheartedly at him reaching for his fedora and smelling it. It smells divine, just as Neal's handkerchief and probably Neal too. A slight mix of wine and old books jumps to her senses.

"I missed you to-" Neal is cut off by a worried Peter appearing on the esplanade. Neal looks apologetically to her as he waves to Peter, She smiles back uncomfortable.

Peter sees Neal and comes to them "Neal you could have told me you were staying with someone, I was worried that you were still sitting in front of the courthouse." Peter says worried "Good morning I'm Peter Burke."

"I know who you are, Agent Burke. You arrested Neal and made him go back to his good tracks. I admire what you and Neal both achieved." She said very formal and professional.

"I think you are in advantage here, since I don't make the minimal idea of who you are." Peter says making her smile like Neal does.

Neal looks terrified at them, crap! Peter is standing in front of this woman who he doesn't make the minimal idea of who she is and of how much times she told Neal that if someone locked him up in some jail, she would follow that person and kill her asphyxiating her with her own pillow during her sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry! It took forever to upload this chapter, but I had exams and spent most time studying. Hope you like it!  
**

* * *

Chapter 3

"I believe that would take all the fun of it. Come sit, please." She answers Peter giggling even more than Neal's classmates in high school when he was charming them. Neal notices the smiles and giggles are fake, but Peter is enchanted with her to actually notice it.

"Take the fun of what?" Peter asks interested. Did Peter ever heard the old proverb _Curiosity killed the cat_? Because right now he is the damn cat.

"Of the mystery. Mystery is fun and exciting." She giggles again. When she looks at Neal again she can see his fear in his blue eyes as they widen "It was a long time ago and I was drunk. Don't think it will be necessary, besides I like him." She told Neal shooting another fake smile.

Peter looks confused at both of them making her fake giggles turn into real ones. Her good humor is so contagious that Neal smiles shyly at her too.

"I'm sorry," She says through laughs "But it happens that at a long time ago I was drunk and Neal got arrested and I screamed to the police officer-"

"…that if someone locked me up in some jail, she would follow that person and kill her asphyxiating her with her own pillow during her sleep." Neal completed her sentence.

"He was sixteen at the time so I didn't see the logic of arresting someone who was only trying to make me mad. You know, the same every teenager goes through." She excuses looking directly to Neal's eyes.

"You're his mother?" Peter asks wide eyed at both of them. Neal makes an uncomfortable smile and nodded while his mother keeps giggling.

"Virginia Caffrey. I'm best known for bringing a criminal to the world, but I also used to be married to James Bennett. Nice to meet you." She says as she raises her hand for him to shake her "As I said I actually like you so I don't think the pillow thing will be necessary."

"Well, I didn't made the minimal idea your mother would be on town, Neal" Peter looks accusatorily at Neal. In the back of his mind he's probably thinking _Damn it, Neal!._

"Either did he. I came to talk to Terry's family, who invited me to the funeral even knowing what James did, and see how the trial would go. Neal spotted me here and came to say hi." She explains with an smile.

"So, you're a friend of Terrence Pratt?" Neal asks her surprised and confused.

"You're saying that just because he arrested James and wanted to make him an example to other cops don't follow their bad choices." She concludes "Yes, Terry was my friend and corrupt, but he was a better person than your father. Or at least he did not killed anyone only to protect himself."

Neal is uncomfortable with all the comments about James. The way his mother talks naturally about his father is new to him. Years ago if he asked about him she would avoid it, scream at him and end up crying.

"I believe you didn't only came because you were worried about me." Neal says turning to Peter trying to end the conversation.

"Oh… no." Peter remembers himself "Some superiors at the FBI want to speak with us, if you are available of course."

Neal looks worried to his mother who smiles empathetically and says "You can go, but wait just a second" she reaches her bag, takes a notebook and a pen and writes something down "Here it's my number if you need it, you know, to talk or something."

"Thanks." He says putting her number on his pocket while getting up. He hugs her and kisses her cheek. "If you need me call the white collar office and ask for me." He says when he moves away from their hug.

"I will" she smiles.

When Peter and Neal came out of the office it was already 3pm. The supervisors wanted to take care of some bureaucratic problems. Elizabeth was waiting for them at the Burkes' and already cooking. Lately, cooking seemed to be the way Elizabeth could forget and avoid everything.

"You won't just forget the encounter with my mother, right?" Neal asks breaking the awkward silence in the car "You want to know her." The last one was supposed to be a question but they both know it was an affirmation.

"You have all the right to tell me to back off, but I would really like to meet your mother." Peter tells slowly "She looks really nice, besides the pillow thing."

"Yeah, she seems nice. I guess I just want to meet her again, too." Neal sighs "When I left… she was a complete mess and a lot of things bad happened that made me wish to never contact her again, but now she looks… different."

"It's complicated, I understand" Peter explains "I know things can get weird, and even bad, when it comes to family. But right now I believe that your mother showing up was the best thing that could happen. Whatever your problems were or are, you should try to fix them. I don't want to put myself in the middle of it, but if in any way I can help you… you just need to ask."

"Thanks, Peter" Neal mutters looking to the New York traffic through the car window. Everyone is so busy with their simple lives, simple jobs and simple families.

"You know, I was thinking if we could invite your mother over dinner. I think Elizabeth would love to meet her too, if it's ok with you, of course." Peter asks.

"Sure, why not?" Neal answers indifferent turning his head back to Peter "I think she could answer some questions to us both or at least clear some things out."

"So, I'll tell Elizabeth to make food for more one. Does she have any preferences?" Peter asks as the car slows down as the get close to the Burkes' residency.

"Honestly I don't have a minimal idea." Neal answers.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi! I know it's been forever but i've been with writters block and then i went on hollidays and school starts tomorow so... i'm screwed. Anyway! I do not own White Collar or it's sexy characters.**

Chapter 4

"Neal?" Elizabeth is making their dinner when she curiously asks for him in a shy tone.

"Yes." He answers looking up to her from the kitchen table where he's reading the paper.

"Your mom" she starts to mutter like she was talking about the weather "I take you weren't very close to her, you don't even know what she likes."

"Pretty much." Neal answers looking to the paper again, he didn't really want to keep talking. He was getting a little uncomfortable, and Elizabeth realized.

"She must have suffered a lot because of James and all that stuff, that's why she may have not been the best mother of the year."

The silence falls in the kitchen again. Elizabeth keeps cutting carrots and joining them with the lettuce for the salad. Neal skips the page on the paper related to James and Pratt.

_ She knew him_, he thinks, _She didn't called him Terrence, she called him Terry. She was his friend and her own husband killed him. Now she is going to his funeral as the wife of his killer._

Peter comes to the kitchen and interrupts Neal's line of thoughts. He is wearing a fancier dark grey suit and trying to fix the new expensive tie he got on Christmas from Elizabeth's parents.

"Hon, you're trying too much hard to make a good impression. It's Neal's mom, not the president of the United States of America." Elizabeth says as she fixes his tie.

"Well, Neal gets his expensive sense of style from her." Peter explains. Neal thinks that Elizabeth is right, it wasn't the aspect that mattered but the personality and actions that should speak for themselves.

"Elizabeth is right, Peter. My mom isn't going to give you some medal of honor or show up in television with you, she'll just probably judge you for having arrested me the whole dinner and then think that maybe you and Elizabeth are actually a nice couple." Neal finally speaks. "And if you were paying a little more of attention you could see that she wasn't wearing any make-up, which shows how she doesn't even care about anything anymore."

Elizabeth and Peter, who were still fixing the agent's new tie, look at him. Peter has a surprised and confused expression while Elizabeth looks at him with pity and sadness, making him sigh and turn his head.

He hates when people look at him with pity sad eyes, it makes him feel like he's again the weak and defenseless child he used to be and the people are looking at his mother who barely notices Danny is with her. _Neal _he thinks _I'm Neal, not Danny anymore._ He remembers how he used to feel before he ran away from her and everything that Saint Louis had.

Neal keeps reading the paper where one of the highlights refers to a ceremony in honor of Terrence Pratt and his _Excellent work fighting for justice_. The irony that the title carries… maybe his mom would attend to this ceremony too.

Elizabeth turns herself back to the salad and the rest of the food while Peter gets the dog food in the bowl on the floor that belongs to Satchmo.

Satchmo comes just some seconds after Peter calls him to eat a little bit of the food and gets back to the little garden on the back of the house, playing with the creepy old doll that Elizabeth's parents gave to her when she was little and she hided in the attic until they found her and returned it to her.

Peter moved to the living room where he turned on the TV. He stopped on the sports channel, where there was a baseball game that started some minutes ago and the Yankees were already winning.

Elizabeth starts making some rice and checking the fish on the oven while she sings some slow song by Lana Del Rey.

"Chocolate." Neal says raising his head from the paper. Elizabeth looks at him confused and Neal explains "My mother doesn't like chocolate. She never did and it's weird because a lot of guys liked her and offered her those heart shaped boxes on Valentine's Day and she had to give them to me and Ellen."

Elizabeth looks at him and a big smile appears is her face. He actually spent the last minutes thinking of something he knew about his mom to tell her, if he could just see the shine in his own eyes when he remembered…

Neal has a small smile in his face that makes his blue eyes sparkle as he gets up and moves to the living room to join Peter.

When he sits on the couch next to Peter, the older agent starts to explain what happened in the game and the probabilities of winning it with a passionate tone. Neal listens quietly nodding with his head to Peter's explaining speech and watches the game at the same time.

The doorbell rings and Peter immediately offers himself to open the door as he leaves the room. At the door Neal's mother stands smiling with a even sexier outfit than the black suit and white plain shirt she wore earlier.

This one is a tight cream dress that reveals all her curves. Her breasts, her hips… but the curve catching Peter's attention was the revealer, by his calculations, that she was at least three months pregnant.

**A/N: As you may have noticed **** I made a little alteration to the first chapter in Neal's mother outfit for this final spoiler. The woman in the foto of the story is Elliott Brooks, the actress that portraied Virginia Caffrey in th episode "family business". I like to imagine Kristin Bauer Van Straten as a increbidly young looking former Mrs. Bennett. I don't really know were this is going and there may be some writting errors ( English is not my mother language) but i'll do my best. Thanks for reading!**


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